The Walter Hopps Zeitgeist Photography Workshop is a month-long advanced community education program, with two in-person workshops, that will take place during The Curatorial Imagination of Walter Hopps exhibition taking place between March 24 to August 13, 2023 at the Menil Collection. Adult participants that have a strong understanding of photography will have the opportunity to view the works of famous photographers during the exhibition. They will focus on three photographers within the exhibition, which are Walker Evans, William Eggleston, and William Christenberry.
Dealing with the theme of “zeitgeist” meaning “the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time,” the participants will observe and think about the zeitgeist that these three photographers mentioned above portrayed in their own work. They will then be given an assignment to photograph their own zeitgeist happening today while comparing and contrasting traditional photography with modern photographic stylistic conventions. Participants will get a chance to think outside of the box and challenge themselves by comparing historical photographers with modern photography. They will think about their place in the environment, culture, time period, and learn to communicate their vision through their work and an exhibition at HCP’s Education Gallery. HCP Instructors will provide feedback and constructive criticism to all the work created giving the participants a chance to hone in on their ideas to the fullest.
Walter Hopps Zeitgeist Advanced Photography Workshop - ACE Instructor: Joshua Mokry
Photography Workshop Schedule:
Day 1 – Saturday May 13, 2023 – 11am-4pm: Tour of Walter Hopps Exhibition with Clare Elliott, the Menil Collection Associate Research Curator; Lunch break; Intensive photography workshop at HCP with project assignment.
Day 2 – Saturday June 3, 2023 – 1-4pm: In-person critique meeting at HCP.
Two Week project development with finalized project and prints due Sunday June 18, 2023.
Exhibition August 9-20, 2023: HCP Education Gallery
Workshop Requirements:
The participants need to bring their own camera and camera equipment. Cameras with manual settings are preferred. The participants will be responsible for printing their work for the exhibition.
Applications:
The workshop is free and open to the public but capped at 12 participants. Submit your portolio in the following link: https://hcponline.submittable.com/submit/260555/walter-hopps-zeitgeist-advanced-photography-workshop
Image Credit: William Christenberry, Fruit Stand Sidewalk, Memphis, Tennessee, 1966, printed 1982. Dye transfer photograph, 8 1/8 × 11 7/8 in. (20.6 × 30.2 cm). The Menil Collection, Houston, Promised Gift of Caroline Huber and the estate of Walter Hopps. © Estate of William Christenberry, courtesy Pace Gallery